Retirement Taxes in South Carolina (2025)
Middle of the pack. Income tax: graduated, top rate around 6%. Social Security: not taxed. Retirement account withdrawals: same deduction, plus a broader deduction at 65+.
Seeded with roughly 13% — about 10% effective federal plus an estimated 2.5% South Carolina tax on retirement withdrawals. Change it to your own rate.
What South Carolina taxes in retirement
| State income tax | Graduated, top rate around 6% |
|---|---|
| Social Security | Not taxed |
| 401(k) and IRA withdrawals | Same deduction, plus a broader deduction at 65+ |
| Pensions | Retirement deduction of $10,000 under 65 and $15,000 at 65+, per person |
| Estate or inheritance tax | None |
| Average combined sales tax | 7.5% |
| Average effective property tax | 0.46% of home value |
South Carolina stacks a retirement deduction with a general 65-and-over deduction, and has some of the lowest effective property taxes in the country for owner-occupiers. It is the quieter alternative to Florida.
What the state tax actually costs you
Take a $500,000 balance and withdraw $2,500 a month, rising with inflation. At an effective federal rate of 10% alone, the money lasts about 18.8 years. Add South Carolina's estimated 2.5% and it lasts about 17.9 years — a difference of roughly 0.9 years.
That is the honest scale of it. State income tax is real money, but for most retirees it changes the answer by months or a couple of years, not decades — and it is usually smaller than the effect of housing costs, which is why a move made purely for income tax often fails to pay for itself.
The taxes that are not income tax
Retirees feel sales and property tax more than working-age households do, because a larger share of a fixed income goes on spending and on staying in a house that is already owned. South Carolina charges an average combined sales tax of about 7.5% and levies an average effective property tax of about 0.46% of a home's value, which is well below the national average.
There is no state estate or inheritance tax, so only the federal estate tax applies and its exemption is high enough that almost no estate owes it.
Should you move for the tax?
Compare the whole burden rather than one line of it. States without an income tax raise the money elsewhere — Texas and New Hampshire through property tax, Tennessee and Washington through sales tax — so the saving is often smaller than the headline suggests. Run your own numbers in the calculator above, then look at what the same house costs in each state, what insurance costs, and how far you would be from family and from the specialists you already use.
Establishing residency is also a formal exercise, not a preference: high-tax states audit departing retirees on days present, driver's licence, voter registration, where the primary home is, and where a doctor and a dentist are. Half-measures lose.
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina tax Social Security benefits?
Not taxed. Your benefit may still be taxable federally once provisional income crosses the limits — see is Social Security taxable.
Does South Carolina tax 401(k) and IRA withdrawals?
Same deduction, plus a broader deduction at 65+. Pensions are treated separately — Retirement deduction of $10,000 under 65 and $15,000 at 65+, per person.
Is South Carolina a good state to retire in for taxes?
Middle of the pack on income tax. We estimate roughly 2.5% effective state tax on $40,000 a year of withdrawals for a 65-year-old single filer. Average combined sales tax is about 7.5% and effective property tax about 0.46% of home value. Estate or inheritance tax: none.
Does South Carolina have an estate or inheritance tax?
No. South Carolina levies neither an estate tax nor an inheritance tax, so only the federal estate tax applies, and its exemption is high enough that very few estates owe anything.
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SavingsLast calculators are educational estimates. They assume a constant average return and steady inflation; real markets are volatile and sequence-of-returns risk can shorten how long money lasts. Nothing here is financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year. Several states are part-way through scheduled rate cuts or phase-outs, and thresholds are often indexed annually — confirm current figures with the South Carolina tax agency (listed at taxadmin.org) or a tax professional before acting. The effective-rate estimate is a planning figure, not a filing figure.